Military TimesMilitary aircraft were moved inland and National Guardsmen activated as "monster" Hurricane Florence took aim at the southern East Coast amid warnings on Tuesday this storm may be “nothing like you've ever seen."
Hours before, the Navy withstood super typhoon Mangkhut, which hit Guam and the Marshall Islands. Sailors were also bracing for tropical storm Olivia, expected to deliver a punch to Hawaii.READ MORE

Defense NewsThe Government Accountability Office is telling the Defense Department to clamp down on inefficiencies in its 19 agencies and 8 field activities — collectively known as the "Fourth Estate." While DoD spends billions annually on these defense agencies and DoD field activities to maintain business functions, it "does not comprehensively or routinely assess the continuing need" for them, according to a report published by the watchdog agency.READ MORE

Military TimesCongress could finalize the Veterans Affairs and military construction budgets in coming days after a conference committee released a compromise funding plan late Monday night, following two months of halting negotiations.READ MORE

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Defense NewsThe Pentagon's chief management officer will be replaced due to a lack of production, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis plans to replace John Gibson, who took over as the department's CMO in February of this year. Gibson was told more than a month ago that his tenure would be coming to an end due to a "lack of performance," according to the report.READ MORE

The Wall Street JournalLawmakers struck a bipartisan deal Monday on a trio of spending bills they hope to pass this week in a rare example of Congress reaching an agreement over funding part of the federal government weeks before the next fiscal year begins.READ MORE

Defense NewsJon Kyl, the former senator sworn in to fill the late John McCain's Senate seat, will also join the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate sources confirmed.
As the Senate's Republican whip, Kyl, 76, was a longtime Pentagon and defense-sector ally, then known as the Senate's biggest advocate for missile defense spending and its strongest opponent to nuclear weapons reduction. READ MORE

Federal TimesOver the past 20 years, the federal government has accomplished "little change" in increasing management's use of data in decision-making, according to a Sept. 5 Government Accountability Office Report.
"Agencies' reported use of performance information to make decisions, and leading practices that can promote such use, generally has not improved since GAO's last survey of federal managers in 2013" the report said.READ MORE

Military TimesThe number of courts-martial and other severe punishments meted out to misbehaving troops across the military has steadily declined in recent years, raising concerns at the Pentagon’s highest levels that some commanders have gone soft on traditional military discipline.
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Hurricane Florence is effecting operations of exchanges and commissaries in the Carolinas and Virginia. Following is information received by ALA.

Exchange and commissary leaders have been preparing for over a week to ensure that employees are safe, patrons are taken care of to the maximum extent practicable and that needed supplies and products are stored and staged to meet patron and first responder needs and assist in the recovery effort.

Resale agencies report that their entire organizations have been mobilized to meet the event just as with the major storms of last year that caused widespread disruption in Puerto Rico, Florida and Texas.

AAFES reports that all directorates are reacting and CEO Tom Shull said that: "The safety and well-being of all of those who will be impacted by this dangerous hurricane are of utmost importance," said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull. "We are staying on top of emerging needs and are grateful to all who are leaning forward quickly. It is great that we have scouts out."

As early as last week, shipments of water, generators, flashlights, batteries and gas cans began flowing to the East Coast from other areas of the AAFES network. As a result, Exchange locations are stocked and there are no outages of these basic items.

The Coast Guard Exchange have closed locations in Ft Macon, Charleston, and Elizabeth City, NC and our Portsmouth, Finance Center, Yorktown Mini Mart and Exchange, VA will be closed until Monday. The Chesapeake, VA location is open and at this time no decision has been made as to when they may close.

Marine Corps exchanges in coastal areas of the Carolinas have curtailed operations or closed stores.

NEXCOM reports that it's personnel have been mobilized to concentrate on affected areas. NEXCOM is rapid ramp-up of fuel and other emergency supplies and is reporting this status at the following locations:

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Supermarket NewsAs supermarkets have upgraded their prepared foods programs to become viable competitors to traditional restaurants, they have been slow to marry their ready-to-eat foodservice capabilities with their burgeoning delivery and click-and-collect operations.
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Natural Products INSIDERHighly processed. Bursting with sodium. Loaded with artificial ingredients. The reputation for frozen foods hasn't served the category well as consumers place greater value on clean labels versus convenience. According to Packaged Facts' "U.S. Food Market Outlook 2018" report, though the frozen dinner and entrée market posts an impressive $10 billion in retail value, sales have declined at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 1 percent between 2012 and 2017.
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By Bambi Majumdar The food and beverage industry is witnessing a significant shift in strategies. Most leading brands are focusing in part on cause-driven strategies for future business growth. We recently discussed how changing consumer habits are driving growth for specialty sodas. Beverage giants and traditional food producers are feeling the heat of these changes while smaller players are adapting fast.READ MORE

CNNThe impending demise of local grocers has been greatly exaggerated.
Only a small fraction of grocery shopping actually happens online today.
Although that may be good news for brick-and-mortar supermarkets, most food manufacturers and retailers have to perform back flips for in-store grocery data.READ MORE

Progressive GrocerAs millennial and Generation Z customers become powerful drivers of consumer spending, it's unsurprising that their tastes and preferences differ from past generations. This is quite evident in the grocery space, and grocery store managers and owners must adapt their business practices to keep up with the current trends in the sector and satisfy customer demands. The good news for store managers is that there's room for growth despite these changes in customer preferences, and these changes offer store managers the opportunity to reorient their business processes with performance, flexibility and sustainability in mind.
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Winsight Grocery BusinessA category that appeared to be headed for a deep freeze is beginning to thaw, thanks to creative manufacturers who are introducing products that appeal to consumers looking for healthy, convenient frozen food products. According to data from SPINS, sales of natural products in the frozen department have grown 29.5% over the past two years — a particularly impressive trajectory given the category's overall performance in the conventional multi outlet and convenience channels.READ MORE

DALLAS – While Hurricane Florence gained strength over the Atlantic the past few days, all Exchange directorates have been fully engaged with Eastern Region operators to ensure locations in the path of the storm are stocked and prepared.

Associates from MD, LG, SFD, IT, HR, GC, LP have been in constant communication with the Vice Presidents and General Managers of Exchanges in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland and southern Virginia to meet the needs of associates as well as military members and their families, both before and after Florence makes landfall.

"The safety and well-being of all of those who will be impacted by this dangerous hurricane are of utmost importance," said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull. "We are staying on top of emerging needs and are grateful to all who are leaning forward quickly. It is great that we have scouts out."

'Brunt of the storm'

While it appears that the hurricane will have minimal impact on Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico, several Exchange locations in the Carolinas, Maryland and Virginia are likely to bear the brunt of the storm. Charleston AFB, Fort Jackson, Shaw AFB, Fort Bragg, Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Fort Lee are all expected to face mandatory evacuations, beginning Thursday for many.

"The safety and well-being of all of those who will be impacted by this dangerous hurricane are of utmost importance."

-Exchange Director/Chief Executive Officer Tom Shull

While many stores outside the gates are facing outages on water, bread, milk and fuel, the focused efforts of all directorates have ensured that Exchange stores are prepared to serve first responders, associates and military members and their families.

As early as last week, shipments of water, generators, flashlights, batteries and gas cans began flowing to the East Coast. As a result, Exchange locations are stocked and there are no outages of these basic items.

"I cannot say enough about the dedication and passion of our associates as they all work together to make the best out of what could potentially be a very dangerous situation," Shull said. "It is a true calling card of this organization that it rises up in times of need."

Tucson.comA major upgrade just hit Fort Huachuca.
The Army & Air Force Exchange Service reopened their shopping center, which received an $8 million renovation. It's considered to be the first major upgrade in more than 30 years.
Among the biggest changes: the center has expanded with an extra 6,000 square feet of space. READ MORE

DVIDSFor the second straight year, the Army & Air Force Exchange Service drove home with the Pride & Polish Best in Show People's Choice award at the 19th annual Great American Trucking Show.
Bradley Wacks, an Exchange motor vehicle operator who was recently inducted into the National Private Truck Council's Driver Hall of Fame, accepted the award on behalf of the Department of Defense's largest retailer during a ceremony Aug. 24 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. The trucking show attracts thousands of visitors, who vote for their favorite tractor-trailer on display. READ MORE

Stars and StripesExchange and commissary operators on overseas military bases are looking at new technology that could put an end to long checkout lines.
The Army and Air Force Exchange Service wants to develop systems like those used at an Amazon outlet that opened in Washington state earlier this year.READ MORE

The Spokesman-ReviewThe store isn't dead for Home Depot, Kohl's, Best Buy or Target. Many traditional chains have posted strong sales, both online and at stores, as people are in a mood to spend.
What's driving it? A booming economy and companies’ own efforts to try to Amazon-proof their businesses. That means making their stores more pleasant, updating their websites and speeding up delivery.READ MORE

Retail InsightToday's retailers are looking to improve shoppers' in-store experience, making it more time efficient. One approach to doing this has been through the introduction of a cashier-less concept, where consumers can simply scan and purchase their products via an app, saving them time queuing at checkout points. This hassle-free way of shopping is said to appeal to the ever time-pressed consumers who seek ease, convenience, and efficiency when shopping for products in stores.
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By Bill Becken Apple reached a milestone recently when it became the world's first trillion-dollar company. It helped that, during its more than 40-year history, it has introduced some incredible innovations and products, most cannily directed at and designed for the end user. But a somewhat recent one, Apple Pay, also took aim at the retail and commercial markets, this time through mobile phone payments. There is no doubt mobile payments will continue to find more users in a retail context. But despite all the innovation in this area, smartphone payments, it seems, remain in their infancy.READ MORE

The Dallas Morning NewsTarget will open its first small-format store in the Dallas area this fall.
The exterior sign went up last week on the Pavilion building in Preston Center at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway.
The store will have its grand opening Oct. 21, Target said. READ MORE

ForbesRetailers have really made a bed for themselves. In an effort to compete against online and discount retailers, most have overplayed their hand when it comes to discounting and are now suffering the unfortunate ramifications of stubbornly low margins. I've written at length about the markdown death spiral in past articles. It's been widely reported that thanks to rampant discounting, consumers now expect discounts on everything from home goods to apparel and beyond, and nearly half of women won't even enter a store without a sale.
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CSP Daily NewsHurricane Florence is already affecting supply at gas stations in the Carolinas and Virginia ahead of its landfall Friday night.
As of the morning of Sept. 13, nearly 30 percent of gas stations in Raleigh-Durham and more than 50% of stations in Wilmington, N.C., were out of fuel, according to GasBuddy's fuel availability tracker, a crowdsourced feature on its fuel price app. READ MORE

Convenience Store DecisionsIn its first activation since joining the American Red Cross Disaster Responder program, 7-Eleven, Inc. is raising money to support the relief agency's efforts as Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolina coast.READ MORE

Convenience Store NewsTravelCenters of America LLC opened its first four TA Express locations.
The TA Express travel centers include three in Colorado, at 455 US 85 in Walsenburg; 1041 North Colorado Ave. in Brush; and 2222 US Hwy 6 in Grand Junction. The fourth welcomed customers at U.S. Highway 85 and State Route 68 in Alexander, North Dakota.READ MORE

ForbesMove over, millennials. There are new kids on the block. Now full-fledged adults, millennials — born between 1980 and 1996, aged 22 to 38 — are quickly being upstaged by a new class of youngsters sure to be innovation-demanding disruptors. Introducing Generation Z, also known as Centennials, born between 1996 and 2010, spanning from ages 8 to 22. Now, 26 percent of the U.S. population, Gen Zers already account for between $29 and $143 billion in direct spending.
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America's NavyWith over 5,000 personnel aboard, multiple places to eat, a coffee shop and several gyms, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is often called a floating city. Like any city one may visit on land, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has it's very own shopping center, the Lincoln Mall.
"While out to sea, with the full air wing embarked, there are roughly 1,000 people who will visit the Lincoln Mall daily," said Ship's Serviceman 3rd Class Mario Brown, a store operator. "The store is a mini market that's perfect for Sailors to replenish their necessities and purchase snacks to make it through the day."READ MORE

Times RecordSoldiers, airmen and others will be able to enjoy a new facility at the Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center that provides a variety of services.
The Arkansas National Guard hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fort Chaffee Morale, Welfare and Recreation Complex at 10 a.m. Sunday. Among those in attendance were U.S. Sen. John Boozman, as well as representatives for U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack.
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